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2007 Toyota Tundra CrewMax Arrives Big!
By: Mike Levine Posted: 01-07-07 17:51 ET
© 2007 PickupTruck.com

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With its all new Tundra set to go on sale this month, Toyota rounds out its 1/2-ton pickup lineup with the introduction of the four door, super sized CrewMax.

The Tundra CrewMax is the third cab configuration offered, joining the two door Regular Cab and smaller, four door Double Cab - both announced in 2006. It's all about Toyota wanting to make a statement with truck buyers that its serious and here to stay in the full size pickups.

Although General Motors, Ford, and Nissan offer crew cab options, only the Dodge Ram Mega Cab truly competes in this inner space race. See below for comparison.


Specs (1/2-ton)	Toyota Tundra CrewMax	Doge Ram Mega Cab
Engine	5.7-liter iForce V8	5.7-liter HEMI V8
Horsepower	381 hp	345 hp
Torque	401 lb-feet	375 lb-feet
Transmission	6-speed Automatic	5-speed Automatic
Interior Space	131 cubic-feet	143.2 cubic-feet
Front / Rear Seat Leg Room	42.5 / 44.5 inches	41 / 44.2 inches
Front / Rear Head Room	40 / 38.7 inches	40.8 / 40.5 inches
Front / Rear Shoulder Room	66.6 / 65.4 inches	67 / 66.5 inches
Front / Rear Hip Room	63 / 62.6 inches	64.9 / 64.4 inches
Max Towing	10,800 lbs	10,700 lbs

PUTC asked Toyota's Chief Engineer for North American Products, Yuichiro Obu, about why Toyota perceived a need for such a large cab in the CrewMax, especially amidst reports of disappointing sales of Mega Cab Rams. Yuichiro responded that the CrewMax configuration had been planned even before the arrival of the Mega Cab because full size truck buyers surveyed by Toyota voiced a need for a very large cab.

Obu is pictured below along with Toyota Motor Sales Executive Vice President Jim Lentz who introduced the CrewMax to journalists at the show.

Toyota is confident it will sell 200,000 full size pickups by the end of this calendar year. The CrewMax is expected to make up approximately 20% of all 2007 Tundra sales. Regular cab is projected at 15% and Double Cab will take the balance at 65% of sales.

Toyota also announced power and fuel economy figures for the Tundra lineup. The 4.7-liter iForce V8 will crank out 236 horsepower, while the new 5.7-liter iForce V8 will provide the most power among 1/2-ton pickups, at 381 horses. And the 5.7-liter will hammer out 401 lb-feet of torque - as much as some heavy duty 3/4-ton and 1-ton pickups used to provide just a few years back. 4x2 models achieve fuel economy of 16 city and 20 highway, while 4x4 models will get 14/18.